Replication of plastic thin film by microfeature mould in large area hot embossing

Abstract

This study determines the replication property and surface roughness of microfeatures of a Ni mould that combines electroforming and large area hot embossing. The metal mould first uses a 4 in. silicon wafer to fabricate a master using the UV-LIGA method, and then applies the sputtering method to sputter the copper element as the seed layer on the surface of the master. The electroforming method is used to manufacture the Ni mould insert from the master with the seed layer. Finally, this study uses thin film of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) material to replicate the microfeatures of Ni mould insert by large area hot embossing. This study shows the replication properties and surface roughness of different microfeature shapes and sizes for the Ni mould insert and moulded PMMA on large area hot embossing. Experimental results show the average error in height of the microfeature is 0·61 μm for the Ni mould insert and moulded PMMA. The average error in surface roughness of the microfeature is 1·63 nm for the Ni mould insert and moulded PMMA. Experimental results show the good replication and surface roughness of moulded PMMA are replicated from the Ni mould insert by large area hot embossing.     

Modelization of the joint formation stage in a concrete structure reinforced by carbon fiber plastic plates

One reinforcement technique for concrete structures consists of using a tension-resistant material (carbon fibers in an epoxy matrix), tightly linked to the concrete support by means of an adhesive through which stresses are transmitted. Reported failures in actual applications are usually due to a poor-quality adhesive/concrete joint. Current research is aimed at studying the joint formation phase. We have focused on the adhesive penetration process that precedes polymer curing. A solvent-based type of adhesive has been selected for this study since its higher fluidity should enable producing a higher-quality joint. We have used numerical techniques in order to solve differential equations describing the major physical phenomena involved in the adhesive penetration process. The numerical results obtained allow us to highlight those physical parameters that actually influence adhesive penetration and to roughly estimate the mechanical strengthening of the adhesive joint.     

Retention and reusability of trypsin activity by covalent immobilization onto grafted polyethylene plates

This study investigated the activity of trypsin that had been covalently immobilized onto acrylic acid (AA)– and methacrylic acid (MAA)–grafted polyethylene (PE) plates—PE–g–PAA and PE–g–PMAA—using a water‐soluble carbodiimide as a coupling agent, as a function of the immobilized amount, the grafted amount, the pH value on immobilization, and the pH value and temperature at the activity measurement. The activity of trypsin immobilized on the PE–g–PAA plates at pH 6.0 decreased with an increase in the immobilized amount because of the crowding of trypsin molecules in the vicinity of the surfaces of the grafted PAA layers. The increase in the grafted amount resulted in a decrease in the activity of immobilized trypsin because of a decrease in the diffusivity of BANA molecules caused by the formation of dense grafted PAA layers for the PE–g–PAA plates and led to the increased activity because of the increase in the hydrophilicity of the whole grafted layers for the PE–g–PMAA plates. The activity of trypsin immobilized on the PE–g–PAA and PE–g–PMAA plates at pH 6 increased with an increase in the pH value, probably because of the expansion of trypsin‐carrying grafted PAA and PMAA chains and the increased diffusivity of Nα‐benzoyl‐DL ‐arginine‐nitroanilide hydrochloride molecules in the grafted layers. The optimum temperature of the activity of immobilized trypsin shifted to 50°C from 30°C for native trypsin. Immobilized trypsin was reusable without any denaturation and isolation at temperatures ranging from 20°C to 60°C and pH values ranging from 6 to 10. Trypsin immobilized on a PE–g–PAA plate had 95% of the remaining activity in relation to native trypsin at 30°C after preservation in a pH 7.8 buffer at 4°C over 6 months. These results made clear that alkaline and thermal stability, reusability, and storage stability can be much improved by the covalent coupling of trypsin on PE–g–PAA and PE–g–PMAA plates. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 89: 3574–3581, 2003     

Rapid fabrication of micro structure on polypropylene by plate to plate isothermal hot embossing method

The cycle time of conventional hot embossing can reach as long as 10 min due to its periodically heating and cooling steps. In recent years, researchers around the world had made great efforts to deal with this problem but still some unsolved defects left. To shorten the cycle time and reduce the energy cost therein, we proposed a new type of plate to plate isothermal hot embossing method with a cycle time down to 20 s as practical. The primary difference between two methods was the thermal pattern, that the mold temperature of our new method remained constant and uniform at a relatively low level throughout the whole process. After specific experimental device was designed and built up, polypropylene (PP)—a kind of representative semicrystalline polymer—was chosen as experimental material. In this article, the feasibility and internal mechanism of our method were discussed. The influence of mold temperature, pressure, and holding time on the replication precision of micro V‐cuts were studied. Furthermore, a promising application of PP products in the field of microstructure heat exchangers was also introduced briefly. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 58:952–960, 2018. © 2017 Society of Plastics Engineers     

超声波瞬间脱除冷表面冻结液滴的试验研究

试验研究了超声振荡对冷表面冻结液滴的影响。对施加频率20 kHz的超声振荡作用下冷平板上冻结液滴的脱除现象进行了可视化研究,记录了超声开启瞬间冻结液滴的脱落过程,分析了超声作用瞬间冷平板内部的温度变化规律,探讨了超声振荡瞬间脱除冻结液滴的机理。试验结果表明,超声作用瞬间冻结液滴脱离冷表面,且伴有弹开现象的发生,同时,平板内部出现温度阶跃。分析认为超声机械作用产生的剪切力以及空化作用产生的冲击力的联合作用是冻结液滴瞬间脱除的主要原因。结果表明,超声振荡能够瞬间脱除冷平板表面作为结霜基底的冻结液滴,是一种有效的除霜方法。     

Study on promotion of interface adhesion by ultrasonic vibration for CFRP/Al alloy joints

Abstract

Adhesively bonded CFRP/Al joints have been widely used in various engineering fields. However, the poor interface adhesion between the adhesive and the Al adherend limits its further use. In this study, ultrasonic vibration was applied to promote the interface adhesion, and the promotion mechanism was studied in detail. The vibration was exerted on the surface close to the bonding area after the adhesive was applied. According to the bonding strength test, this process improved the bonding strength and repeatability by approximately 32% and 48%, respectively. By comparing the failure behavior without and with ultrasound, it can be seen that ultrasound promotes interface adhesion of the adhesive/Al adherend significantly. Under the application of ultrasonic vibration, a tight microscopic bond was formed at the bonding interface, and a chemical reaction occurred to form chemical bonds. The opening of the epoxy group was promoted to allow Al to react with –O–C to form Al–O–C, because attack of electrophilic Al?+?on O– of the epoxy group was strengthened by high-frequency impact between the adhesive and the Al adherend at the interface caused by the ultrasonic vibration. It can be seen that the application of ultrasonic vibration during the adhesive bonding process can promote interface adhesion between Al and the adhesive in terms of physics and chemistry, thus significantly improving the performance of the adhesive bond.     

Performance optimization of fluorine-doped tin oxide thin films by introducing ultrasonic vibration during laser annealing

Commercial fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) thin films were subjected to laser annealing coupled with ultrasonic vibration (48 kHz and 350 W). The effects of ultrasonic vibration, laser fluence and defocusing amount were systematically studied. Laser annealing could result in grain growth or damage of the FTO layer, and introducing ultrasonic vibration during laser annealing could effectively enhance the film compactness, decrease the film thickness and refine the grains in the film. As a result, the optical and electrical properties of the ultrasonic-vibration-assisted laser-annealed FTO films were significantly improved by using low laser fluences and high defocusing amounts, and were slightly deteriorated when high laser fluences and low defocusing amounts were adopted. The results indicated that the film obtained by ultrasonic-vibration-assisted laser annealing using a laser fluence of 0.6 J/cm² and a defocusing amount of 2.0 mm had the best overall photoelectric property with an average transmittance of 84.1%, a sheet resistance of 8.9 Ω/sq and a figure of merit of 1.99×10^–2 Ω^–1, outperforming that of the film obtained by pure laser annealing using the same experimental parameters. The present study confirms the efficacy of ultrasonic-vibration-assisted laser annealing in optimizing performance of FTO films.     

超声波乳化法制备核壳型纳米丁苯胶乳

在超声波的乳化作用下,研究了丁苯胶乳的核壳聚合反应,用透射电镜对胶乳粒子的粒径大小及其分布进行了表征。结果表明,当苯乙烯聚合80min、单体转化率达到73％时,所得到的核壳结构胶乳粒径在20nm左右,且具有单分散性。     

Uniform coating of a crystalline TiO2 film onto steel plates by electrochemical deposition using staged pulse current

A crystalline TiO₂ (c-TiO₂) film was electrochemically deposited onto a 10 cm × 20 cm hot-dip-galvanized (HDG) steel plate at 60 °C from an alkaline aqueous solution containing 0.1 M titanium potassium oxalate dehydrate and 1 M hydroxylamine. The electrochemical deposition was carried out by a galvanostatic method. First, a current density of 10 mA cm⁻² was applied for 5 min, which led to the formation of a uniform coating of TiO₂ on a 1 cm × 1 cm small HDG plate. A crystalline layer was observed, however, only in the central area, whereas the upper and the edge areas were amorphous. Both calculations and experiments confirmed that this was due to the difference of the local current densities in the vicinities of different areas. Next, three different currents (5 mA cm⁻² (2 min), 10 mA cm⁻² (2 min) and 20 mA cm⁻² (1 min)) were applied continuously so that the local current density for each part of the substrate achieved appropriate deposition conditions. The film thus obtained was crystalline in all areas and of uniform thickness.     

超声辅助乙酸萃取硅灰石钙离子新工艺

研究了超声振荡技术应用于乙酸萃取硅灰石时的钙离子萃取率。表明当硅灰石为200～300目,乙酸的质量分数为25%,超声波频率为32 kHz,反应温度60℃,反应时间3 h,固体硅灰石中钙离子的萃取率为43.0%;而在相同条件下无超声波时,钙离子的萃取率仅为27.9%,相对效率提高54%。当硅灰石的颗粒较大时,超声振荡条件下钙离子的萃取率比无超声时的要大得多,在较低温度时也可获得较高的萃取率,这些都可大大降低乙酸萃取工艺的能耗。     

Suppression of diamond tool wear in machining of tungsten carbide by combining ultrasonic vibration and electrochemical processing

As an important ceramic material, tungsten carbide (WC) is utilized as the typical mold in precision glass molding, which has replaced conventional grinding and polishing to provide a highly replicative process for mass manufacturing of optical glass components. Ultra-precision grinding, which is time consuming and has low reproducibility, is the only method to machine such WC molds to high profile accuracy. Although diamond turning is the most widely used machining method for fabrication of optical molds made of metals, diamond turning of WC is still considered challenging due to fast abrasive wear of the diamond tool caused by high brittleness and hardness of WC. Ultrasonic vibration cutting has been proven to be helpful in realizing ductile-mode machining of brittle materials, but its tool life is still not long enough to be utilized in practical diamond turning of optical WC molds. In the current study, a hybrid method is proposed to combine electrochemical processing of WC workpiece surface into the diamond turning process. Cutting tests on WC using poly-crystalline diamond tools were conducted to evaluate its effect on improvement of tool wear and surface quality. Validation cutting tests using single crystal diamond tools has proven that the proposed hybrid method is able to significantly reduce the diamond tool wear and improve the surface quality of machined ultra-fine grain WC workpiece compared to ultrasonic vibration cutting without electrochemical processing.     

Injection-molded plastic plate with hydrophobic surface by nanoperiodic structure applied in uniaxial direction

The purpose of this research is to establish a processing method for a wide-area nanometer scale periodic structure on the surface of a plastic plate in order to improve its hydrophobicity. We also evaluated the effect of a nanoperiodic structure applied in the uniaxial direction. Plastic plates of acrylonitrile–ethylene–styrene with dimensions of 100 × 100 mm² with a nanoperiodic structure on their surfaces were fabricated using a femtosecond laser and an injection molding technique. In the injection molding, the maximum transfer ratio for the depth reached as high as 0.79. When the nanoperiodic structure was applied in the uniaxial direction, the apparent contact angles did not decrease with respect to the direction of the ridges. As a result, the apparent contact angle increased by 20.4°, from 77.2° to 97.6° which is equivalent to 26%. In the six-month duration test, the sliding angle was initially decreased by applying the nanoperiodic structure. Additionally, the sliding angle was maintained between 20° and 38.3° during the duration test, which was lower than the angle for the flat plate at 42.7°. It can be considered that the depth was sufficient to maintain the sliding angle. In this condition, the contact angle hysteresis did not differ with or without the nanoperiodic structure on the surfaces, an effect that could be caused by surface dirt. In summary, the plastic plate was well drained and the characteristics were maintained for several months by forming the nanoperiodic structure on the surface.     

Improvement in adhesive‐free adhesion by the use of electrostatic interactions between polymer chains grafted onto polyethylene plates

The tensile shear adhesive‐free adhesion properties induced by electrostatic interactions between poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) and poly[2‐(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate] (PDMAEMA) chains grafted onto polyethylene (PE) with low‐density (LDPE) or high‐density (HDPE) plates were studied. PAA‐ or PDMAEMA‐grafted PE plates were immersed in a HCl or NaOH solution or water for 24 h, and their electrostatic properties were changed before they were overlapped with each other and heat‐pressed. The breaking of the substrate between the two plates with water‐swollen grafted layers was observed in the low range of grafted amounts in comparison with immersion in the acidic and basic solutions. The ability of the two plates with grafted polymer chains swollen in water to strongly bond with each other was a result of electrostatic interactions formed by positively charged PDMAEMA and negatively charged PAA chains. The breaking of the substrate in the case of adhesive‐free adhesion between quaternized PDMAEMA‐grafted and PAA‐grafted PE plates immersed in the basic solution occurred with lower grafted amounts of PAA. This came from the strong attractive force between dissociated anionic PAA chains and quaternized cationic PDMAEMA chains in the basic solution. In addition, the adhesive‐free adhesion strength of HDPE plates with the same grafted polymer chains encountered the breaking of the substrate with lower grafted amounts than that of LDPE plates. It was concluded that the grafting of polymer chains onto HDPE plates with high crystallinity was considerably restricted to the outer surface regions. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 101: 2632–2638, 2006     

Comparison of ultrasonic wire bonding process between gold and copper by nonlinear structure analysis

Wire bonding is one of the most important processes which connected the chip and lead frame in microelectronics packaging. Due to the expensive price of gold, copper wire and aluminum wire gradually become the substitutes of gold wire in the process of bonding. Meanwhile, changes in the materials result in a series of problems, such as violent wear of capillary and less reliable production on account of its higher Young modulus. However, the tiny range of parameter values for stable process makes it difficult to do experiment. In order to observe the process of thermalsonic bonding and find out the influence of new material in bonding stage, a transient nonlinear dynamic finite element framework is developed in this paper. A comprehensive parametric study which includes different thickness of bond pad and material of bond wire were conducted in this research to improve the reliability of wire bonding. The comparison between copper and gold wire bonding process on the third generation LEDs is introduced. As a result, this numerical simulation framework is of great importance to the development of LEDs packaging.     

The effect of NaCl and HPAM solution concentration on HPAM gel structure degradation by ultrasonic waves

The present study evaluated the impact of ultrasonic waves on the degradation of partially hydrolyzed polyacrylamide (HPAM) gel structures, focusing on the effects of sonication time, NaCl concentration, and HPAM solution concentration. Results showed that both sonication time and salinity levels play a crucial role in the degradation of HPAM gel, with an increase in sonication time leading to a decrease in the remaining gel and the presence of NaCl in the solution decreasing the residual time required for degradation. The results also revealed that higher levels of salinity expedite the degradation of the gel. In addition, the study discovered that a rise in polymer solution concentration usually results in a reduction in gel degradation. The research suggests there might be an ideal combination of polymer solution and NaCl concentration for achieving the greatest decrease in the degradation rate. For 2-min sonication, as the salinity of the HPAM solution, with a concentration of up to 5000 ppm, increases, the accumulated energy remains relatively constant. However, when the polymer solution concentration is increased, the accumulated energy becomes more sensitive to changes in salinity. The results of this study provide valuable insight into the interplay between polymer solution concentration, salt concentration, and the energy required for gel degradation, which can be applied in various fields including the oil and gas industry, petroleum processing, and environmental remediation.     

Preparation of a carbon monolith with hierarchical porous structure by ultrasonic irradiation followed by carbonization, physical and chemical activation

A two-step direct and simple method for the preparation of a hierarchical porous carbon monolith with micropores, mesopores and macropores is described. The two stages give more flexibility in the preparation of a porous carbon monolith. In step I a macroporous interconnected carbon monolith is prepared by ultrasonic irradiation during sol-gel polycondensation. The effects of sol-gel temperature, catalyst concentration and ultrasonic power on the structure of the monolith are investigated. In step II, mesopores are induced in the monolith by Ca(NO₃)₂ impregnation followed by CO₂ activation. The effect of activation temperature is also studied. A hierarchical interconnected carbon monolith with mean pore size diameter of 1.2 μm, BET surface area of 624 m²/g, mesopore volume of 0.38 cm³/g and micropore volume of 0.22 cm³/g has been obtained from Ca(NO₃)₂ impregnation of the macroporous carbon monolith followed by CO₂ activation at 850 °C.     

Hierarchic structure and mechanical property of glass fiber reinforced isotactic polypropylene composites molded by multiflow vibration injection molding

Maleic anhydride‐grafted polypropylene (Ma‐PP) and β nucleation agents (β‐NA) were used to modify the glass fiber (GF)/isotactic polypropylene (iPP) composite. The interface adhesion, degree of orientation, and crystalline morphologies of the PP/GF composites molded by multiflow vibrate‐injection molding (MFVIM) and conventional injection molding (CIM) were studied by polarized light microscopy (PLM), scanning electronic microscopy (SEM), and X‐ray measurements. Results prove that the interface adhesion was improved by the Ma‐PP; γ crystal was generated by the MFVIM due to the instant high pressure and shear during the multiflow; and a hierarchical structure which has a strengthened skin and a toughened core was formed. As a result, the final PP/GF/β‐NA composite has a 60% increase in tensile strength and 80% improvement in impact strength compare with the CIM pure PP/GF composite. Based on the observations, a modified model is proposed to interpret the strengthening and toughening mechanism. Our work paves the way to obtain high‐performance GF/iPP composites. POLYM. COMPOS., 38:2707–2717, 2017. © 2015 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Mechanical properties and structure of high‐density polyethylene samples prepared by injection molding with low‐frequency vibration

To better understand the formation of different crystal structures and improve the mechanical properties of high‐density polyethylene samples, melt vibration technology, which generally includes shear vibration and hydrostatic pressure vibration, was used to prepare injection samples. Through melt vibration, the crystal structure changed from typical spherulites of the traditional injection sample to obviously orientated lamellae of vibration samples. Sizes and orientation degrees of lamellae were different according to different vibration conditions. Crystallinity degrees of vibration samples increased notably. Therefore, the tensile strength of vibration samples increased with increasing vibration frequency and vibration pressure, whereas elongation of vibration samples decreased during the first stage and then continued to increase as the vibration frequency increased. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 96: 818–823, 2005     

Improved mechanical properties and structure of PP/nano‐CaCO3 blends prepared by low‐frequency vibration injection molding

BACKGROUD: Melt vibration technology was used to prepare injection samples of polypropylene (PP)/nano‐CaCO₃ blends. It is well known that nano‐CaCO₃ particles are easy to agglomerate owing to their large surface energy. Improving the distribution of nano‐CaCO₃ particles in PP/nano‐CaCO₃ blends is very important for enhancing the mechanical properties. In this work, low‐frequency vibration was imposed on the process of injection molding of PP/nano‐CaCO₃ blends. The aim of importing a vibration field was to change the crystal structure of PP as we studied previously and improve the distribution of nano‐CaCO₃ particles. Furthermore, the mechanical properties were improved. RESULTS: Through melt vibration, the mechanical properties of PP/nano‐CaCO₃ samples were improved significantly. Compared with conventional injection molding, the enhancement of the tensile strength and impact strength of the samples molded by vibration injection molding was 17.68 and 175.96%, respectively. According to scanning electron microscopy, wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction and differential scanning calorimetry measurements, it was found that a much better dispersion of nano‐CaCO₃ in samples was achieved by vibration injection molding. Moreover, the crystal structure of PP in PP/CaCO₃ vibration samples changed. The γ crystal form was achieved at the shear layer of vibration samples. Moreover, the degree of crystallinity of PP in vibration samples increased 6% compared with conventional samples. CONCLUSION: Concerning the microstructure, melt vibration could effectively change the crystal structure and increase the degree of crystallinity of PP besides improving the distribution of nano‐CaCO₃ particles. Concerning the macrostructure, melt vibration could enhance the mechanical properties. The improvement of mechanical properties of PP/nano‐CaCO₃ blends prepared by low‐frequency vibration injection molding should be attributed to the even distribution of nano‐CaCO₃ particles and the formation of γ‐PP and the increase of the degree of cystallinity. Copyright © 2007 Society of Chemical Industry     

Studies on fibers spun from poly(vinyl alcohol‐b‐acrylonitrile) emulsions prepared by ultrasonic technique. I. Characterization of fiber structure

The structural characteristics of poly(vinyl alcohol‐b‐acrylonitrile) fibers with different AN contents were studied by comparison with that of PVA and PAN fibers. X‐ray diffraction analysis showed that both PVA and PAN blocks in the copolymer fibers formed crystals. Two glass transition temperatures corresponding to PVA and PAN components appeared on the dynamic mechanical spectrum of the copolymer fiber, indicative of their incompatibility in the fiber. SEM intuitively exhibited a longitudinal cracked and grooved surface morphology similar to that of PAN fiber and revealed an internal microdomain separation morphology for the block copolymer fibers. TEM showed a morphological structure intermediate between those of PVA and PAN fibers for the block copolymer fibers. It was also found that the copolymer fiber with the lower AN content has a sheath–core structure. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 80: 979–988, 2001